


Coven

by polkadotPotter



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alec is in the pack, Basically season 7, Bisexual Liam Dunbar, F/M, Gay, Gay Theo Raeken, Good Theo Raeken, Homeless Theo Raeken, Hurt/Comfort, It kind of goes back and forth between following Liam and Theo, Liam helps him with them, Liam-centric, M/M, Slow Burn, Theo has emotions, Theo has nightmares, Theo is a pack ally, Theo is afraid of emotions, Theo lives with Liam, Theo tries really hard to be good, Theo was manipulated by the Dread Doctors, Theo-centric, Witches, but like yeah, idk what else to tag, new villains
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-19
Updated: 2018-01-19
Packaged: 2019-03-06 22:52:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13421304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/polkadotPotter/pseuds/polkadotPotter
Summary: After the Anuk-ite and the hunters, Beacon Hills is relatively safe- or, as safe as it can get- which, let's be honest, isn't very. The pack is split up and starting new adventures. In Liam's case, this means a senior year where his classmates aren't trying to kill him. In Theo's case, it's avoiding the rest of the pack, and trying to convince himself that he's okay.With a new addition to the pack, Alec, senior year for the remaining pack is already looking to be interesting. Now add in witches, a tortured ex-villain, and repressed homosexuality.





	Coven

It should've been over, Theo thought. 

These past weeks, these past- however long it had been since he'd been dragged out of hell, whatever was wrong with him should be over now. The tight feelings he got in his chest when he saw something sad, the heavy clutch around his heart when he thought of everything he'd done with the Dread Doctors. The pull he felt towards certain people, the sting he felt when he noticed people looking at him with what could only be mistrust. The self hatred(because he could at least name that feeling) he felt when he thought about how justified it was for them to feel that way towards him. 

All of it should have stopped now. The Anuk-ite was dead now, Scott had killed it. That was what Theo had convinced himself this was- a fluke. That these stirrings in his chest were a result of the fear inducing monster, an unnatural, outside entity that was bigger than himself. So it should be over. Right?

Theo's head swam with confusion and hurt and guilt and so many feelings that he couldn't name, hadn't been able to name since before he'd reached double digits. He could feel his claws itching to come out in his state of panic, only spurring his anxiety further. He was in control, he'd always been in control. And now a set of pesky feelings were going to take that away from him? He blinked heavily, curling his hands around the railing he leaned against, nervously chewing on his bottom lip.

He had bitten his lip nearly raw by the time Liam came out to join him. The chimera didn't notice the younger wolf approach him, too lost in his thoughts. "Theo?" Liam called softly, and Theo visibly tensed, showing Liam that he had been heard. He reeked of guilt and sadness and confusion. He also smelled faintly of Gabe. Glancing down, Liam saw the red that coated the bottoms of Theo's sneakers, remembering that the older boy had crouched down in Gabe's blood when he'd taken his pain. 

Theo adjusted his stance, and Liam noticed the rough way he gripped the railing in front of him. "You ran off pretty quick," Liam tried again. For some reason, he really wanted Theo to answer. "Are you alright?"

Theo barked a laugh, and despite its harshness, Liam could hear the pain in it as well. There were no further attempts to respond.

"Uh," he tried again, trying to think of how to get the chimera to respond. "That was really- what you did. It was cool."

"Cool," Theo muttered, and Liam still heard it. Theo rolled the word around in his head for a while. Cool. Good. That was good, wasn't it? He was starting to get better, he was starting to help. People were noticing that he was starting to help. He was beginning to make up for his past offenses.

Theo winced as the thought came into his head. That was the thing, though, wasn't it? Before hell, he hadn't thought that there was any sins that he needed to atone for, and that worried him. 

Because Theo was terrified that he was only helping because he was afraid. He was scared that he didn't mean it, and he was scared of what would happen if that were true. And the feeling of that fear wrapped around his throat, pressing on his chest, was so suffocating that he almost wished he could go back to not knowing fear at all, and not having to deal with this. But then, of course, he thought of what he would do if he were like that, what he had done when he had been like that previously, and the whole cycle of guilt and self-hatred repeated. It was a vicious, consuming cycle. And he'd only been out here for ten minutes.

"Why?" Liam asked suddenly, and this was what got Theo to turn and look at him, no matter if it was out of the corner of his eye or not. 

"Why what?" he asked back. He was deflecting, and Liam knew it.

"Why'd you take his pain?" Liam asked him. Theo didn't answer, so he added, "I wouldn't have even done that."

Theo chewed on the inside of his cheek, and his teeth were maybe just a bit sharper than normal. "He-" Theo's throat felt dry and he cut himself off, not sure how to explain it. Not sure if he wanted to explain it. 

What would opening up mean?

Theo sighed, and he turned back away from Liam, gazing away from the hospital. He heard Liam begin to approach him, and soon the beta had joined him at the railing. "He was afraid," Theo tried. "And a kid."

Liam raised an eyebrow. "A kid who tried to kill us, on multiple occasions," he reminded Theo.

Theo winced. "Didn't I try to kill you on multiple occasions?" he chuckled drily, and Liam looked at him curiously. Theo didn't need to look at the beta to be able to see the gears turning in his head, and he knew instantly that he'd shared too much. He suddenly couldn't breathe. He needed to get out, he needed to-

"You saw yourself in him, didn't you?" Liam asked, and Theo gulped. How the hell would he get out of this?

Taking a deep breath, he tried his best to sound nonchalant as he answered, "I saw a dying kid, Liam. You're reading too much into this."

"I'm reading what I see on the paper, Theo," Liam shot back, and Theo growled lowly. 

"Well maybe don't, for once," Theo snapped, and Liam blinked at him. He seemed taken aback, and Theo felt his eyes prickle- he wasn't sure if it was because they were glowing, or if the tears that had resided there from earlier were making a reappearance. He didn't want to know which it was.

Liam, however, backed down. Instead of prodding Theo with more questions, he slipped into a heavy silence, wrapping his fingers around the railing as Theo had, mimicking his posture. It was a while before he spoke up again. 

"Either way, you did good," he told Theo, and the chimera felt like he'd been hit. "Scott would say the same."

Theo laughed airily. "Scott's an optimist."

"He's hopeful," Liam corrected the chimera. "There's a difference."

"And what does that hope tell you, Liam?" Theo asked. It was supposed to be mocking, supposed to rile up the younger beta and serve as a distraction from the conversation. But it backfired, because Liam responded with,

"It tells me that one day, maybe you could be pack again."


End file.
